Advocacy Updates! What’s next after our big water win!
COURT FINDS SONOMA COUNTY VIOLATED ITS PUBLIC TRUST AND CEQA RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORDERS THE COUNTY TO PROTECT ITS WATERWAYS FROM EXCESSIVE GROUNDWATER PUMPING In late August 2024, the Sonoma County Superior Court held that the County of Sonoma failed to fulfill its mandatory duties [...]
The Hidden Threat in Our Tires
Vehicle tires are a vital component of modern transportation, but they carry an invisible threat to our environment, particularly to aquatic ecosystems like the Russian River. This threat comes from a chemical called 6PPD that is used in tires (and other rubber products) to [...]
A Silent Threat to the Russian River’s Freshwater & Salmon
Excess Sediment: A Silent Threat to Freshwater Quality and Salmon Species The Russian River Watershed is known for its stunning landscapes, abundant wildlife, and critical salmon habitat. However, the health of our beloved ecosystem is continually under threat from a multitude of factors, and [...]
Vineyard Permitting in Sonoma County Protects Our Waterways
The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is currently working to draft a Waste Discharge permit for vineyard properties. The primary focus of this permit is to address the issue of sediment and nutrient runoff coming from some vineyard properties and entering our [...]
Arundo Removal Updates!
Arundo Update- June 2023 Here’s the latest update on Riverkeeper’s ongoing Healdsburg Arundo Removal Project: Our crews and volunteer groups have been working hard on eight properties and have removed approximately four acres of invasive Giant Reed, Arundo donax, from various private parcels along [...]
RRK Challenges Sonoma County Well Ordinance
Russian Riverkeeper (RRK) and our state association, California Coastkeeper Alliance, recently filed a challenge to the Sonoma County Well Ordinance update. While the new ordinance started the conversation around what is needed, the final amendment is too vague and has not analyzed whether it [...]
Earth Month Was a Great Success Thanks to You!
It’s been a great Earth Month this last April and at Russian Riverkeeper! We’ve been keeping busy to make the greatest impact we can to protect and restore our watershed from harm. Earth Month started in the 1970s as a movement to resist the [...]
Our Natural Resources Are at Risk!
Click here to see the previous update! The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors completed their vote to pass the proposed amendment to the Well Ordinance on 4/18/2023. With Supervisors Hopkins, Gore, and Rabbitt voting in favor of Staff recommendations, we believe the County has [...]
Taking Action Against Unregulated Ground Water Pumping
Join us in ensuring our public trust resources are protected from unrestricted groundwater pumping! Russian Riverkeeper is continuing hard to push to get key requirements incorporated into the Sonoma County Well Ordinance Amendment that will help ensure the short and long-term protection of our [...]